


Blood Moon (Rising)

by PennamePersona



Series: A dark force of destruction, many times undone [1]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Breath of the Wild/Hades Fusion, And Link thinks about Zelda a Lot, F/M, Gen, Hands down the most self-indulgent and niche thing I've ever written, M/M, Mild spoilers for post-epilogue Hades (nothing detailed), Nonverbal Link (Legend of Zelda), Probably some mild botw spoilers also, Sign Language, Supportive Friendship, Than and Zag are very soft and in love in the background, Zagreus Goes To Hyrule And Makes A New Friend, Zagreus wants to go somewhere new and he meets Link and well folks I think they'd be friends, not always but sometimes, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 15:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30007041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennamePersona/pseuds/PennamePersona
Summary: The river is bathed in the blood moon’s dark glow, which makes it a bit hard to see. (So much for his Sneaky River Snail search. Thanks again, Calamity Ganon.) Link steps carefully out of the water and crouches, then quietly inches forward towards where the river was disturbed. He expects to see a newly resurrected moblin or something of the like - inconvenient, but simple enough to deal with.He does not expect a person. Especially not a person with on-fire leaves in their hair who appears to be covered in blood.He wonders if this is how other people feel when they see him traipsing around Hyrule. If so, he understands their reactions now.---Or: Zagreus is curious and wants to explore other places, Link is a hard person to disturb, and an unlikely friendship is born.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Zagreus (Hades Video Game) & Link (Legend of Zelda)
Series: A dark force of destruction, many times undone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2216865
Comments: 18
Kudos: 120





	Blood Moon (Rising)

**Author's Note:**

> I brought up how my two video game hyperfixations are Hades and Breath of the Wild and my gf said Link & Zagreus are similar and well here we are folks! I don't even write crossovers, I'm usually not into them but guys I just think that maybe they would be friends

The thought occurs to him halfway through the usual fight with his father. A few dozen runs ago, such a distraction would’ve thrown him off badly enough to lose the fight. Now, after he’s spent so much time growing into himself, Zagreus is able to mull over the idea and still win handily.

Judging by the look in his eyes as he sinks into the Styx, Zagreus is fairly certain his father can tell he wasn’t entirely focused on the fight. Zagreus wishes he could send this image back in time to a version of himself who could properly appreciate his father’s loss of dignity. Much as he appreciates the slow (but steady) improvement of their relationship, he does sometimes miss the petty glee he once got from moments like these. As it is, he hopes it brings his father some measure of satisfaction when Zagreus dies from absentmindedly stepping on a beehive, too caught up in his own thoughts to defend against the stings.

Once Zagreus pulls himself out of the Styx back at the House, he dashes as quickly as he can over to Nyx. He pointedly avoids his father’s gaze on the way, not wanting to test either one of them just now. Mother is around, and she never appreciates their (admittedly still slightly petty) back and forths. 

Nyx raises her eyebrows when Zagreus comes to a halt in front of her, still breathing a bit heavy from the rush. “Hello, my child. I gather there is something you wish to speak to me about?”

“Yes, very much,” Zagreus says. He grins at her and receives her usual indulgent smile, which never fails to spark his own affection. “I was wondering - do you know of any other entrances or exits to the surface? Surely it isn’t just the one through the Temple of Styx.”

Nyx hums consideringly. “I must admit, I do not know much of the upper workings of this realm. My focus is primarily based here, where the darkness is most central. If there are such exits, I imagine your father or Charon would know of them. Why do you ask?”

Zagreus shuffles his feet against the tiles. “To be honest, I’m getting a bit tired of seeing the same small area of the surface before I die. I know I can’t survive long up there, but I’d like to explore in one way or another.”

“You feel trapped again.” Nyx says, not unkindly. It’s not a question, and Zagreus can’t say he’s surprised she has him so figured out. 

“Yeah, I think so.” He says. Nyx reaches out a hand to comb gently through his eternally messy hair. “I don’t want to jeopardize everything we worked for just because I’m bored, though.”

Nyx pauses for a long moment, clearly thinking. Zagreus doesn’t interrupt her, long accustomed to these silences by virtue of both being raised by her and growing up alongside Thanatos. Some days, even Charon is more chatty than the two of them.

“I will contact Charon and see what he might know.” Nyx finally says. “I am not certain there is a simple solution for you, my child. Still, I shall do my utmost to assist you.”

“Thank you, Nyx,” Zagreus says. “I really can’t say enough how much I appreciate your help. Not just in this.”

She smiles down at him again. “You do not need to. I already know, my child.”

He nods and gives her his own fond smile. He’s not going to push her for a hug right now, and this is the closest he’ll otherwise get. He dashes away once more, off to see if Than is waiting in the West Hall. Today feels like a good day to try once more to appreciate his fixation on the Styx. And well, barring that, it’s always a good day to try and snag a kiss from Death.

* * *

Is it wise for Link to still be foraging at night, instead of lighting a fire and letting the time pass him by? No.

Is he going to do it anyway? Yes.

He knows full well that if the Princess can properly see him from the castle, she’s probably disappointed in his foolish stubbornness. He can appreciate why she might not want her knight being careless with his safety, but he justifies it to himself that  _ she’s _ meant to be the wise one, anyway. He’s not wise. He’s looking for Sneaky River Snails.

He’s also not paying attention to the sky, which proves to be a mistake.

_ The Blood Moon rises once again… _

Oh, in the name of - 

“Ack!”

Link flinches at the sudden splash. The Princess (can he call her Zelda? Is that too presumptuous?) fades out of his mind before she can remind him to be careful. He takes half a second to be disappointed about that, then zeroes in on what caused the splash.

The river is bathed in the blood moon’s dark glow, which makes it a bit hard to see. (So much for his Sneaky River Snail search. Thanks again, Calamity Ganon.) Link steps carefully out of the water and crouches, then quietly inches forward towards where the river was disturbed. He expects to see a newly resurrected moblin or something of the like - inconvenient, but simple enough to deal with.

He does  _ not _ expect a person. Especially not a person with on-fire leaves in their hair who appears to be covered in blood.

He wonders if this is how other people feel when they see him traipsing around Hyrule. If so, he understands their reactions now.

The person sits up in the river and spits out a mouthful of water. It looks...really red. More than Link would expect, just from the moon’s glow. Did this person just spit out an entire mouthful of blood? He honestly doesn’t have a good sense of what’s normal for people to be able to physically tolerate, but he doesn’t think it’s good for someone to have that much blood in their mouth.

“Really, Charon?” The person grumbles. They groan, though it sounds more annoyed than pained. “Couldn’t have dropped me off any more delicately, hm? See if I use your shops at all, next run.”

Link’s first thought is,  _ Does Beedle have competition? Is there another traveling shop person? _ _  
_ _  
_ Link’s second thought is,  _ Wait, dropped off? _ _  
_ _  
_ Link’s third thought is,  _ Huh, they’re looking this way. Almost right at - oh, shit. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Hello?” The person says. “Is someone there?”

Link considers saying no, just for the fun of it. He also considers running. In the end, he does neither, just stands up and tilts his head at the stranger in the river.

“Oh.” The stranger says, apparently not expecting Link to be so calm. “Um, hello. My name is Zagreus.”

_ My name is Link.  _ Link signs, though he knows full well the stranger probably won’t understand, even if they see his hands clearly. It’s the principle of the thing, really.

The stranger (Link could’ve sworn they just said their name, but somehow it’s already fuzzed out of his head) sits up more fully and brings their arms out of the river.  _ Sorry. My name is - _ _  
_ _  
_ And then they make a gesture Link can’t quite make heads or tails of. Even “sorry” and “name” looked a bit wrong, though thinking about it gives him an immediate headache. It’s unsettlingly similar to the times he thinks too long about where a certain muscle or sense memory came from, like Hylia herself is trying to fill his head with darners.

“No.” Link says, out loud. He doesn’t love being verbal, especially with strangers. Much as he appreciates people who know sign, though, he’s not willing to deal with whatever  _ that _ was for a whole conversation.

The stranger just looks at him for a few long moments, then shrugs. “Alright then. I’m sorry, I didn’t really catch your name there.”

Link just shrugs back and says, “Do you see any snails around you?”

The stranger stares at him with undisguised confusion.

“What’s a snail?”

* * *

Zagreus sighs and leans back against one of the pedestals Charon usually displays his wares on. Thanatos looks down at him with absolutely no sympathy in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you expected.” Than says. Off to the side, Charon groans out what’s clearly a laugh. 

“I was hoping I wouldn’t die so quickly,” Zagreus says. He’s aware of how petulant he sounds, and he doesn’t plan to stop. Just because he’s accustomed to having his escapades on the surface cut short doesn’t mean he has to pretend to enjoy it.

Thanatos rolls his eyes and shares a brief Look with Charon. Zagreus absolutely does not appreciate being silently mocked, but he supposes he should just be grateful Hypnos isn’t around. He’d hate to be on the receiving end of all three brothers’ derision. They’d be quite the force to behold.

Because Than loves him and can’t actually keep his distance when Zagreus seems upset, he lowers himself to sit next to him on the ground. “It sounds like you at least had an interesting experience.”

Zagreus leans against him and huffs a short laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. The moon was  _ red _ , Than. I didn’t know it could do that.”

“Usually it doesn’t.” Thanatos hums. He runs his hand through Zag’s hair, fondly tussling the locks near his laurels. Zag wonders if Than’s aware that he and his mother have some of the same affectionate tics. Probably not, and he’d flush gold if Zagreus pointed it out. He might also get flustered enough to leave, so Zagreus keeps his mouth shut for now.

“It felt so different from Greece,” Zagreus murmurs. “Normally I can feel at least Nyx’s influence, even on the surface. There though...it was like a different world entirely.”

“We aren’t the only gods, you know,” Thanatos says. “Maybe the area you were in is under another deity’s domain.”

Zagreus hums consideringly. “Huh. I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t suppose you’ll give out any free hints, Charon?”

Charon makes that groaning laugh again, which is about what Zagreus expected. He does drift closer though, and some of the purple smoke always clouded around him curls nearer to Zagreus.

“Charon?” Thanatos asks. He sounds as confused as Zagreus feels, which is never reassuring. Charon just waves a hand dismissively at the both of them as the smoke gets thicker and closer. All at once, it winds around Zag’s hands and head. It’s an incredibly strange sensation, like he’s not breathing but someone (some _ thing _ ) else is. There’s a buzzing in his head like when he saw the stranger from the river signing.

And then it’s gone, and his head is clear.

Zagreus shakes his head reflexively. He can see Than’s concerned look from the corner of his eye, and he shoots over a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.” He looks back up at Charon. “Thanks for that, mate. I...oh. Oh!”

“What is it?” Thanatos asks. He still sounds concerned, and Zagreus knows there’s little he can do to fully reassure Than once he’s gotten anxious about something. Nevertheless, he can’t hold back a grin of pure delight.

“His name is Link!”

* * *

Link settles down in the traveler’s tent and waits. The moonrise will happen shortly, and he’s already stripped the area of most of the useful materials. Normally, this is when he’d build a fire and pass time - but not tonight. Tonight is another blood moon.

Tonight, Zagreus is going to pay up.

Though Link doesn’t use a fire for a focus, he does close his eyes and let time pass him by more slowly. He’s less alert to subtle changes in his environment this way, but he doesn’t need to be very on edge. Normally this would be incredibly foolish at night, with stal monsters who knows where, nevermind that he’s under a blood moon. He’s found that monsters don’t come near when Zagreus appears, though, like he takes up all the dark energy around them, leaving nothing for Ganon’s beasts.

Link can feel the moon rising higher in the sky. He feels Malice twist beneath the ground where Ganon has poisoned Hyrule in intimate, unforgiveable ways. The Master Sword shivers in its sheath. Link understands how it feels. Every time, he’s struck anew by how  _ wrong _ it all is.

And then there’s a flash noticeable even behind closed eyelids, followed by a thud and a groan. Link blinks his eyes open and easily notices the person responsible for the thud. Zagreus rubs his head as he sits up. Link sympathizes with him. Falls like that tend to bruise in really annoying ways.

Zagreus glances around himself, locating Link quickly. His darkvision is even better than Link’s, which makes sense. Apparently he sees the sun about as rarely as the stal do. 

“Hey Link! How’re you this fine day or night? Or wait, it actually  _ is _ night here, for certain. I’ll never get used to that.”

Link doesn’t bother replying to most of that, only partly because he’s not feeling particularly verbal tonight. Instead, he pulls out a Sneaky River Snail from his bag and gives Zagreus a meaningful look. 

“Right, right.” Zagreus fumbles with a satchel at his side and pulls out a few Hellfish. “I hope you appreciate the trouble I’m going to for you. I’m used to Charon’s high prices, but he’s really outdone himself with the fees for transporting Underworld materials with me. I’m lucky the Wretched Broker has started allowing me to trade gemstones in for obols.”

Admittedly, Link doesn’t understand about half of what Zagreus is saying, which is about typical when Zagreus brings up the workings of the Underworld. He gets a general idea that bringing along these strange fish is costly though, and “gemstones” certainly means something to him.

Link rifles through his bag and pulls out a ruby and two topaz, then gestures towards the Hellfish.  _ How much? _ _  
_ _  
_ “Whoa, where did you get those?” Zagreus’ eyes are wide. “That’s an impressive size!”

Link gestures vaguely at the rocks around them, then points to the Hellfish again. Zagreus shakes himself back into focus and considers the Hellfish and the gems. “Let’s go with one topaz for two Hellfish. Sound good?”

Link nods and tosses Zagreus his topaz, then finally gets his hands on the impossibly high-tier elixir ingredients.  _ Thank you _ .

Zagreus signs,  _ You’re welcome _ , then tucks the topaz into his satchel. “You said last time that you wanted to show me something?”

Link can’t help the smile that crosses his face. He nods, then digs out two sets of Sheikah Stealth gear. He tosses one to Zagreus. It’s dyed red and black out of consideration for aesthetic - never let it be said that Link can’t appreciate style. It was certainly interesting to try pulling together that particularly color combination without stumbling into an uncomfortable Yiga-esque appearance. 

He pulls the other, older set on himself. He’s tucking his hair up when he notices Zagreus fumbling with the gear.

“Er, I’ve never worn anything like this before. Sorry?” Zagreus grins apologetically. Link rolls his eyes and crosses over to help him. He’s managed the tights, and mostly has the breastpiece on. Link can’t really fault him for needing some assitance with the ties, which really can be a pain if you aren’t used to them.

It’s his hair that’s really going to be a pain, which is unfortunate, since that’s the part that most needs to be covered. Link knows Zagreus is an excellent fighter, but he fails completely at stealth. Even with lessons on how to crouch and move slowly, the guy’s feet and laurels are literally on fire. Talk about easy visibility.

Still, Link has plenty of experience making do with inconvenient circumstances. He had to commission Zagreus’ tights specially to not cover his feet (turns out Goron fireproof armor and Sheikah stealth gear don’t mix at  _ all _ ), which had been...interesting to explain. He’s still not mentioned Zagreus to anyone yet. It’s not that he thinks there’s anything dangerous about Zagreus, it’s just - how is he supposed to explain a strange person who shows up during blood moons and is deeply imbued with Darkness but has absolutely nothing to do with Calamity Ganon? It’s farfetched to say the least, and while he loves the Sheikah dearly, he doesn’t quite trust that they won’t try to take prisoners first and ask questions later. He can’t begrudge them their paranoia, but he’s not eager to feed it.

Finally Link manages to cover Zagreus’s laurels sufficiently. Nothing to be done for his feet, but hopefully the strong stealth elixer he brewed earlier will even things out.

“Okay, what now?” Zagreus says. His face is covered up, same as Link’s, but his easy grin is an audible thing. Link feels his own mouth twitch with an unbidden smile. Maybe he could introduce Zagreus to the Sheikah. The sheer force of his natural charisma is a hard thing to resist.

Link tosses Zagreus the stealth elixir and pulls out his own. It’s a combination of Slavug and Sneaky River Snail, no monster parts required. It’s hard to pick the best thing about using Underworld materials, but it might be that they all qualify as monster parts when used correctly. The flood of warmth he gets from the stewed down Slavug is invigorating and made a hundred times better with the complete lack of lingering aftertaste from a Lizalfos tail or Keese wing.

Zagreus coughs a bit at the taste of the stealth elixir, as usual. Link doesn’t hide his disappointed headshake, which Zagreus just rolls his eyes at.  _ Pampered Prince. _

“Oh leave me be,” Zagreus scoffs. “Not everyone can be the Chosen Hero of eating whatever the hell he stumbles on. And I’ll have you know, I’m the least picky person you could’ve gotten. Than lectures me everytime he catches me eating a gyro from a vase.”

_ Why be wasteful? _

“Exactly!”

Link huffs out a quiet laugh, then starts up the mountain path, beckoning Zagreus to follow him. He keeps low and careful, though they’ve got a little while before they truly need to be stealthy. He’s found it’s best to give Zagreus a chance to get used to being so conscious of his movements.

Once they’re close enough to the split atop the mountain peak to see the faint glow, he hears Zagreus catch his breath. Link turns to sign as carefully but emphatically as he can.  _ Very, very quiet.  _ Zagreus nods, and Link stops hearing any breathing from him at all. He decides not to think too hard about that.

Together, they inch forward until the Blupees are visible. Zagreus doesn’t make a sound, but Link can  _ feel _ his fasination and excitement like a tangible presence in the air. It brings that smile back to his face. He remembers how thrilling it was to see all of this for the first time. It’s just as bittersweet now as it’s been for quite a while. He knows how much Zelda (the Princess? He’s still not sure about formality) would love this.

Link leads them deeper into the crevice, and then holds back once the pond is visible. He knows Zagreus will need a few moments to adjust to the sight before them. After all, Link still does.

The Lord of the Mountain glows brilliantly and impossibly. Link’s not sure how much Zagreus needs to breathe, but he imagines it remains hard for the both of them when Satori’s twin heads turn toward their hiding spot. He’ll never really get used to that gaze. He doesn’t think it’s possible.

After long enough that Satori has begun the usual calm pacing around the pool, Link turns to look at Zagreus. His eyes are shining in the dark, filled with wonder and awe. He looks at Link, and though they don’t speak or lift their hands to sign, it’s easy to see what he’s communicating.

_ Wow. _

Link just nods. Then he gestures for Zagreus to wait, and starts creeping forward himself. As he’s done a few times before, he moves with the utmost care and quiet until he’s close enough to Satori to leap astride. He tosses back an energizing elixir and holds tight against the Lord’s bucking in what might be sacrilege. It’s not as difficult as it was the first time, though Link doesn’t kid himself that Satori necessarily appreciates the treatment. Still, it’s nice to know the Lord isn’t outright angry with him.

Once the Lord is calm enough to allow Link to lead, he slides off and drops into the pool. He pulls out a couple of Endura carrots for a treat, feeling only very slightly silly as he feeds the Lord of the Mountain the same way he would his horse. Then he turns back to where Zagreus is waiting and beckons him forward.

Zagreus comes as quietly as he can, but once he’s in the glowing light of the pond, it’s clear that he’s barely keeping himself from standing. Link pulls down his face mask and grins.  _ Come on. It’s safe. _

Zagreus does stand then, and hurries (though still carefully) to where Link is standing next to Satori.

“Link, this is absolutely incredible,” He breathes, pulling down his own mask. “What...how...who? C’mon, don’t leave me hanging here!”

Link laughs. As he signs, he’s grateful once again for the strange magic which makes translation easy between them.  _ This is the Lord of the Mountain, a very powerful nature spirit. The mountain is named for them. I rode them before, and I thought you’d get a kick out of seeing them. _

“You were right,” Zagreus says. His voice is still quiet, his awe tempering his usual flares of energy. “Lord of the Mountain, huh? Incredible.”

Link nods, then passes Zagreus another Endura carrot. He gestures towards Satori’s twin faces. He can’t quite hold back a laugh at the wide-eyed look Zagreus gives him. Again, it’s straightforward communication without hands or voice.  _ You want me to give a powerful nature spirit a  _ **_snack_ ** _?! _

Link just shrugs.  _ I did it. _

That seems to be enough for Zagreus, who Link knows matches him one-to-one for impulsivity. The Prince from another realm comes around the Lord’s front and holds out the carrot. He laughs in sheer delight when Satori leans forward and crunches the treat. Zagreus reaches towards Satori’s mane then, stroking it gently. Though Zagreus did not prove himself by holding tight against the bucking like Link, the Lord seems content in his presence. Link might feel annoyed if that was his way, but then, he doesn’t think he could’ve made friends with an Underworld Prince pierced through by Darkness and Blood if he was that sort of person.

“Thank you Link,” Zagreus murmurs, still completely entranced. “This is amazing. More than worth all the Hellfish you want.”

Link might just hold him to that.

* * *

Zagreus and Thanatos are relaxing in bed together, a treat all the sweeter for its rarity, when he feels the pull.

“Oh,” Zagreus sits up suddenly. “I feel Link calling me.”

Than blinks up at him in clear concern, brows furrowed. “Through the keepsake you left him?”

Zagreus nods, then bites his lip. He’s loathe to leave Thanatos during one of the few times they’re both free, but if Link’s in trouble…

“I’ll come with you.” Thanatos says. He’s already standing to pull on his robes and tosses Zag’s at him without even glancing up. It’s just as well, since he’d probably get embarrassed by the lovestruck look Zagreus knows is plastered on his face. In his defence, he thinks it’s perfectly reasonable for him to feel a surge of fondness at how effortlessly brilliant and compassionate Than always is.

Zagreus pulls on his own clothes hurriedly, barely taking the time to strap on his armor and snag his satchel before Than is grasping his hand and they’re both yanked to Hyrule.

As usual, Zagreus lands in a heap with a harsh thud. Predictably, Than is above all that nonesense, quite literally. He’s floating, which is completely unfair. Zag would complain about it, but he’s too busy looking around for Link.

Luckily, Link is very easy to find. Perhaps less luckily, he’s almost completely nude. For reasons Zagreus can’t even begin to guess at, Link is standing on a platform in nothing more than his shorts. His bag and sword are visible to the side of the platform, and the only thing he’s holding is the laurel leaf Zagreus left with him, in case of emergencies.

Thanatos makes a choked sound. “Do I want to know what is going on here?”

Link gives Than a long, contemplative look. Zagreus imagines Link can guess who Than is, even without having met him before. Zag has maybe gone on about his partner a lot. Link gave him a bit of good-natured ribbing about it before Zagreus got him talking about his Princess. They’ve called a truce now, aware that they’re both too besotted to have a leg to stand on in any teasing.

“No.” Link finally says. He glances up at the sky, which is not quite as dark as it usually is when Zagreus is here. They’ve found that he usually survives only so long as the blood moon is in the sky, but for now the moon hasn’t quite risen. Zagreus looks up and sees it starting to peek over the horizon. For a moment, it looks different than usual, crystalline white against the night.

And then it becomes painted in a red Zagreus is intimately familiar with. It’s the same shade that runs through his veins, so oft-spilled on the floors and landscape of the Underworld. He looks back at Link in confusion. He’s surprised to see a pleased and self-satisfied expression on Link’s face.

“Oh good. I wasn’t sure that would work.” Link says. Before Zagreus has a chance to ask what the hell he’s talking about, there’s a rumbling behind him. He and Thanatos both jerk in surprise and turn towards the sound. A stone monument is rising from the earth, shaking the ground as it emerges. After it finishes settling, Zagreus recognizes it as one of the shrines Link has shown him before. 

“Link?” Zagreus asks, voice strained. “What - “

But Link’s already rushing past both of them, clothes somehow already pulled back on. Zagreus sees that his weapons are once more strapped to his back, but that’s all the view he gets as Link smacks his Sheikah Slate against something at the front of the shrine and then dashes into the opening it creates.

“Thanks, gotta go!” Link calls out. And then he sinks below the ground on a glowing platform.

Everything is silent for a moment. Then music starts playing from somewhere above them, and the sound is enough to bring Zagreus back to the moment. He looks over at Than, who is staring at him with about as much shock and confusion as Zagreus feels.

“Is he always like that?” Than asks, sounding choked. 

Zagreus shrugs. “Pretty much.” His answer causes Thanatos to close his eyes and sigh heavily, which Zag can’t fault him for.

Zagreus glances around them. He doesn’t think he’s seen this part of Hyrule before, though he is unsurprised to find it as fascinating and lovely as everywhere else he’s been. He doesn’t realize how long he spends just drinking in the scenery until he looks back at Than and catches the unguarded fondness in his expression. 

“How long do you usually stay here?” Thanatos murmurs. Zagreus reaches down and brushes their hands together. His hand is quickly pulled into a firm grasp, and he does not even try to hold back a grin.

He glances up at the moon, still only just past the horizon. “I typically don’t fall to natural causes until the moon’s gone. We’ve got several hours before then, if you’d like to stay.” He carefully does not mention his own feelings on whether they stay or go. He knows full well how chronically indulgent Than is, and Zagreus wants this choice to be Than’s.

Thanatos hums consideringly, his thumb brushing absent-minded circles on the back of Zagreus’ hand. It’s a lovely feeling, to be casually on the edges of affection with a god known for being reserved and withdrawn. It’s downright addicting, which would worry Zagreus if he had any reason to fear losing it.

“It might be nice to see the place that’s had you so intrigued.” Thanatos says. It’s the closest he’ll come to admitting any of his own curiosity, and it’s more than enough for Zag. He squeezes Than’s hand and opens his mouth, but anything he might’ve said is halted by the shimmering blue light that pulses from the shrine.

They both look back at it just in time to see Link re-emerging. He looks no worse for wear after facing whatever challenge was within - actually, he looks even better than he did beforehand. Zagreus takes half a second to think it strange, then tosses it aside. There are too many far stranger things about Link to waste time on this one.

Link looks mildly surprised to see them still around, which Zagreus imagined would be the case. He assumes Link wouldn’t think anything of it if they’d vanished as quickly as they’d appeared. His friendship with Link might be strange, but it’s at least nice not to feel held to a high standard or feel overly obligated.

Although, that does remind him…

“Oh, Link!” Zagreus rummages through his satchel and pulls out two pomegranates. “Lucky you, I happened to have some poms on me when you called. And because you called me with the keepsake, there’s no extra fee from Charon for these.” He pauses. “Ah, let’s not abuse that system, though. Charon isn’t the sort of person to have bad blood with.”

He tosses a pom to Link, who catches it with a much more interested look on his face. Zagreus tilts his own pomegranate in a ‘cheers’ gesture, which Link returns. As they both bite in, Zagreus can see the look on Tha’s face go from mild amusement to a mixture of resignation and disgust that he’s intimately familiar with.

“Really Zag? Must you be a bad influence here, as well?” He sighs. Zagreus shrugs and takes another crunching bite of pomegranate. Thanatos does not hide his wince at the sound.

Link pipes up, mouth still half-full. “It’s more efficient.”

Thanatos tilts his head up to the sky and makes a distressed noise. “Blood and darkness, now there’s two of you.”

* * *

Link lays on his back as what might be the last blood moon rises in the sky. Once it fully clears the horizon and the malice starts to dance around him, he sighs. Before meeting Zagreus, this would’ve been a sign to rush to safety and try to get his head in order before her whispers sent his mind spinning.

Now, he merely watches as Ganon’s influence coats the air like ash, almost hard to see against the malice-soaked backdrop of the Castle. Just before the moon peaks, all the flecks it conjured freeze in the air. For one perfectly still moment, they glow a dark, impossible purple. Then they drop to the ground, and though they make no sound, Zagreus very much does.

“Oof.” Zagreus leans up on his elbows and looks around before he sees Link laying on the ground. “Hello there, mate. I’ve got some ideas about that little girl who likes monster cake, if you’d like to hear them? I got some advice from Euridyce, and I think we could teach her parents some useful recipes that’d make their lives easier - ”

“I’m going.”

Zagreus stops talking. Link closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Then he opens them and pushes himself off the ground to stand. Zagreus stares at him with an intense and serious gaze that Link has rarely seen from him. He grabs Link’s offered hand and stands up as well.

“Tonight?” Zagreus asks. Link shakes his head. He tries to open his mouth to speak again, but it’s no use.  _ Tomorrow _ .

Zagreus just nods. He glances at Link’s circlet, and the corner of his mouth twitches with what wants to be a smile. Link might never have gotten it if Zagreus hadn’t given him the diamonds. He thinks the jeweler could tell that they were unusual, but she hadn’t asked questions, much to Link’s relief. He doesn’t know what he would’ve told her. Certainly not that the Prince of the Underworld had given him the rewards he’d collected from the bounty of slaying a bone hydra. 

Then he’d have to explain what a hydra is, and despite their best efforts, he and Zagreus still haven’t found a good way to get the Sheikah Slate to let them add Underworld entries. He’d written down notes, though. He knows that Zelda would never forgive him otherwise.

  
“Well, call me if you need me, yeah?” Zagreus says. “I’ll be waiting, just in case. Than will come too, if he’s available.”

Link nods, breathing through the ache in his chest. They both know he won’t call on Zagreus tomorrow. They might be friends, but Zagreus is not of this world. Tomorrow will be a battle already written in prophecy. It will be a meeting of a reborn hero and a being twisted by hatred; of a goddess incarnate and century old ghosts, past meeting present meeting a future that Link cannot think of without feeling overcome with grief. There is no simpler solution to be found here. There will be blood soaking Hyrule Castle, but it will be blood the Castle has tasted before.

Of course, they both know that Zagreus had to offer regardless. It’s part of why Link waited for a blood moon to go in. There’s also the fact that the area around where Zagreus appears during a blood moon is free of Ganon’s influence, meaning the monsters Link cleared from several key points in the castle won’t reform. But there’s positive sentiment as well. 

_ Thank you _ . Link signs. Zagreus mirrors him.  _ You’re welcome. _

The two of them sit together, right at the edge of the overlook. Once dawn peaks over the horizon and Zagreus’ blood coats the ground, Link will dive into the moat below and swim to the castle docks. He’ll climb up into the belly of the castle, battle creatures he missed in the days he’s been preparing, skirt around the edges of guardian-protected battlements. He will stop once more at the Princess’s - at  _ Zelda’s _ study. 

And then he will proceed to the Sanctum, where his destiny awaits.

But there is still time before that. There is still time enough for two swordsmen, short in height and full of more heart than either of them can hope to contain, to share space. To share time. To share pomegranates, to share memories, to share a mutual understanding that neither of them have ever quite had the words to explain.

The first time he awoke from Zelda’s pleading caution, Link never anticipated he would feel anything more positive than mild annoyance for this nighttime influence of the Calamity. But now he knows that after all of it, after Zelda is safe and his quest is finally at an end - 

Link will hope for a blood moon to rise, once again.

**Author's Note:**

> I always love kudos and adore comments, but ESPECIALLY on a work like this, I would love to hear what y'all think. This felt incredibly self-indulgent to write and while I really enjoyed it, I know it's probably not gonna get a ton of attention. So hey, it'd mean a lot to hear from y'all <3
> 
> I also had some ideas that didn't end up making it into this fic, so like, there Could be a followup fic if folks would wanna read it,


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